Lectures examine Union Theater’s ties to African American artists

From the moment it opened its doors, the Wisconsin Union Theater has been a very democratic place.

That democracy, and its impact on African American performers who played there, will be the focus of a continuing-education lecture series this summer on campus.

“Many of these performers were hosted by the Union Directorate during a period when they were barred from many other professional venues because of their race,” says Sandra Adell, associate professor of Afro-American studies. The Union has hosted such immortals as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Marian Anderson, Hazel Scott, the Dance Theater of Harlem and many more.

Adell and guest speakers will explore the impact of African American traditions in the performing arts and the role the Union Theater played in presenting them here. The series will meet Thursdays, June 16-July 9, in Grainger Hall.

Michael Goldberg, the theater’s current director, says the reason the theater engaged these artists was simple: “They were the best. The theater always has had a policy of booking the best acts available, regardless of the color the best happened to be.”

The public is invited free of charge to the lecture series. Registered UW- Madison students also may take the series for credit.

For more information or a complete schedule of activities, contact the UW–Madison Division of Continuing Education, (608) 262-1156.